An Open Letter to the Man Who Flipped Me Off on I-295

I know you were probably in a hurry to get wherever you were going which made you feel it was necessary to barge your way into moving traffic on I-295 during one of the busiest times of the day. I understand. We all have places to be. However, flipping me off was unwarranted and uncalled for. Let me explain why.

I was travelling in the right lane. Some people like to call it the slow lane, but the proper term for it is the driving lane. By Maine law, vehicles must remain in the right lane unless passing. Under Title 29-A §2052 paragraph 6:

"An operator driving on a limited-access way with a speed limit of 65 or more miles per hour is restricted in ordinary operation to the right-hand lane and may use adjacent lanes for overtaking and passing another vehicle, but must return to the right-hand lane at the earliest opportunity. This requirement does not apply to an authorized emergency vehicle, or to a vehicle otherwise directed by posted signs, a law enforcement officer or a highway maintenance crew."

I was in the right lane because that's where I was supposed to be.

You sir, were entering the highway on the on-ramp. Courteous drivers will move over to the left lane to allow drivers who are entering the highway the space they need. I sir, am I courteous driver, however in this case I was unable to move to the left lane because it was occupied by another car. So then the burden falls on you to obey the yield sign on the on-ramp and yield the right of way to the vehicles on the highway. In other words, do not enter the highway until you are able. I have the right of way. Don't believe me? I'd like to show you this Facebook post from the Maine State Police from several years ago.

So the next time you decide you would like to flip someone off, like me, who didn't move over for you to get on the highway because you were going up the on-ramp faster than the speed of traffic on the highway, you might want to do a couple things. First, slow down. It's not a race. Second, don't assume that the person on the highway must move over for you. Most people will if they can, including me. But if they aren't able to, you have to wait your turn like grown ups do.